Well i've finally become hooked on mtbing after my visit to Eagle on the Hill here in Adelaide. I have been using my old mtb I have had since i was 14 and with 4 months of uni holidays starting in a couple weeks I thought what a better way to kick them off than to buy a new bike . Being a roadie, my knowledge on mountain bikes is very little so I am hoping you guys can lend some advice.

I have been doing a little research and looking into what kind of bike I can get roughly for $1 - 1.5k. I've decided to go with a hard tail although unsure whether to go with a 29er or not. Being a pretty lanky lad (6ft, 63kg) i'm unsure if a 29er would be ideal for me. I have read mixed views on them, varying from giving you a softer ride to not being very ideal for single tracks.

I have had a look at a couple stores and have a found a couple bikes: Orbea - Satelite, about $1100 and also some GT bikes which are 29ers around $1300.If any of you guys have any recommendations on bikes, or shops in Adelaide which specify in mtb's that would be great.

MTBs are generally intended for single tracks. I can't see how people can make claims that a 29er is going to be bad at it. My 26in bike has a long full suspension chassis, and compared to my road bike, turns like a supertanker, but it is still fine on single track, a 29er HT would have the same wheelbase as my full suspension bike.

You are tall enough that toe overlap shouldn't be a problem (unless you have real short arms) - ie there should be no problem riding a 29er.

I don't think there is much point/advantage to a full suspension 29er myself, and thus see no reason to change my bike, but if I was buying a HT or a rigid bike, it would be a 29er for sure. Once the wheel is hard attached to the frame the weight difference has less effect but the size advantage doesn't change.

For that budget, I'd have a good look at the GT Karakoram 1.0 or 2.0. The 1.0 comes with XT/Deore 10spd components for around $1,400 while the 2.0 has a mix of Deore/Alivio 9spd for $200 less.

My personal choice however would be the 3.0. Whilst it's 8spd, a mix of Alivio/Acera and a Suntour fork (instead of basic Rockshox)...it's the same frame, cockpit & wheels as the others. And just $850. It'll certainly do the job!! Drive the driveline components into the ground and then replace with 10spd Deore group and hyd brakes for less than $400. If you want/need a better fork then a runout RS Reba or Fox F29 (both better than the stock RS XC28 or XC32 forks) can go for less than $400 - an X-Fusion or high spec Suntour is even cheaper.

What have Ginat got in the 29er range for that much - they seem to be value plus these days.

Merida also do some good stuff for really good prices not sure about price

Jump on BikeExchange and a do a search and see what comes up for that much money.

You could even get lucky and snare a good second hand bike for that much - I know over budget but by example there was an Anthem X 29 that sold for $1900 bucks on eBay.

But why not just get a custom Ti made by Moots or Baum? (just joking but it seems whenever someone asks about a bike on a budget someone has to suggest something that is four times the budget so thought it could be me this time)

Well i've finally been able to narrow it down to two bikes, the Giant XTC and the Trek Cobia. I went into one of my LBS and he said the Trek out specs the merida easily, although its slightly less attractive . Now im just stuck on if its worth paying an extra $200 for an xtc or not... Im no expert on mtb components so if u guys could shed some light on the area that would be great. The cobia comes with sram x5 whilst the xtc is made up of shimano alivio and deore.

Your LBS is lying to you. The Cobia X5 drivetrain is fine but not way above the Merida's Deore/Deore XT drivetrain. X5 is SRAM's entry level MTB range....Deore is well above entry level in the Shimano range (but admittedly the first 10sp). That said the Cobia fork (Rockshox Recon Silver) has better kudos than the Suntour...but the Suntour is still a very fine fork. Merida has better brakes.

Of the three....the XTC has probably the weakest drivetrain spec. But a fine front end with a tapered headtube and a 15 QR hub. Still not worth the extra $300 unless it is demonstrably better ride.

I've been riding a 26er dually for 3 months or so, and wanted to 29er HT as a backup bike and to mix things up. I managed to score a 2nd hand Trek Rig, which is a single speed (which is my preference). I have to say that the 29er is AMAZING. Climbs like you wouldn't believe and is not that bouncy etc on descends, actually its very quick. So, my first point here is definitely go a 29er, its fantastic. I think my dually is about to become my backup bike!!

My 2nd point is your price point/ bike lists you've come up with. The Trek Cobia is an entry level 29er HT and unfortunately your'e not really going to get a great fork/brakes etc. If I were you and you maximum is $1500 to spend, I would await a 2nd hand Trek X-Caliber or Paragon on EBAY (or equivalent). You should get it for around that price and and they are WAY better than the Cobia. I'm just worried your going want to upgrade fairly soon with something like the Cobia.

OrangeJuiceMan wrote:Well i've finally been able to narrow it down to two bikes, the Giant XTC and the Trek Cobia. I went into one of my LBS and he said the Trek out specs the merida easily, although its slightly less attractive . Now im just stuck on if its worth paying an extra $200 for an xtc or not... Im no expert on mtb components so if u guys could shed some light on the area that would be great. The cobia comes with sram x5 whilst the xtc is made up of shimano alivio and deore.

The Trek Cobia is an entry level 29er HT and unfortunately your'e not really going to get a great fork/brakes etc.

Thanks for the advice mate, yea I have decided to rule out the Cobia took it for a test ride yesterday and wasn't anything flash. I also test rode the Merida and preferred that. Although as you said eBay is the other option and I have been keeping my eye on it to see if there is anything decent, just a matter of waiting, until something pops up

I'd have a good look at the GT Karakoram 1.0 or 2.0.

I have also been having a look at the GT bikes and they seem to be great value for money compared to what other bikes are on the retail market for that price. So hopefully might go take the karakoram 1.0 or 2.0 for a test ride in the next couple days at the LBShttp://www.gtbicycles.com/aus/2012/bike ... akoram-1-0

The Giant seems to be the only one with a 15QR front hub and that should stiffen the long front forks considereably. It also has sealed bearing hubs which need nil maintenance, while a couple of others have low level Shimano cup and cone. Swore last time I had them that I would never touch Shimano M475 or lower hubs ever!

Well im sorry to disappoint some of you but I went into one of my LBS and was able to strike a deal with GT Karakoram 1.0 for $1200. I decided to go with this not only because of the price but as it was also a bit more unique than your standard giant/trek mtb etc. Im yet to take it on the dirt but it does run beautifully on the bitumen I plan on heading out to some trails tomorrow. Considering im still only a noob on mtbing and compared to what i was riding before it is a huge improvement. In time i'll probably invest in some better quality forks and then some wheels, but till then i'll just enjoy it and develop my skills. Appreciated all the advice you guys gave.p.s. will post some pics eventually on the other thread.

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